Written In Blood
by MissVipera
Summary: It's been almost a month now since the ceremonial duel, and since that very day, everything seemed to be going ordinarily for everyone, but not for a certain Tomb Keeper. He wished for a change in his life, for redemption, for a second chance with his alter ego. His wish might just come true eventually, but when it does, would he be ready for the troubles accompanying it?


Written In Blood

A/N: Hey everyone. It's MissVipera, so I've been reading fanfics on here for a while, and just recently I've gotten the inspiration to write one myself

This is an M rated fiction, I don't really wish to corrupt any children with the upcoming violence and perhaps, future yaoi.

To clear things from the beginning:

"MissVipera" = Talking

'MissVipera' = Thinking

_MissVipera = _Writing

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! so don't sue me.

* * *

_**Diary Entry 1**_

_From the darkest corners of an underground tomb, to the shadows of my mind; I, Malik Ishtar, have had enough crossings with darkness to suffice for a lifetime. _

_Shadows unbearable, more traumatising than hell itself. _

_I believe no one fears the dark as more than I do... Every night I go to sleep in pure terror. _

_The terror of what lurks in the dark. _

_**He **__maybe have been the one to inflict that upon me, but I could never hate him for it. _

_**I **__created my own darkness, my own personal hell. But he guided me through it, he took my pain away. _

_**They **__may have forgiven me, in spite of the horrors I have put them through, but I can never forgive myself, never. _

_Not only for the mistake am I to blame for, or for endangering the entire world for my own personal, selfish desires. No. _

_I can never forgive myself for letting him go. For so carelessly losing my saviour to the shadows I've always feared myself, after all that he's done for me. _

_For failing in bringing him back. _

_Oh yes, that I did. Or at least I thought I did. He was supposed to be back, but he isn't. _

_**They**__ can never know of what I have done. They'd try to eliminate him, send him away once again, if he by some miracle is back for real. _

_Marik... _

_He ever so gladly took the blame, not once flinching when all the accusing fingers pointed at him and him__** alone. **_

_It should have been me at the other end of those fingers, not Marik, not my saviour. _

_Nothing can shake off the guilt I'm feeling deep inside. No matter how many times they'd tell me that it would all be okay, now that he's gone. That he was dubbed the convict, the villain, the 'bad guy' of the story. But they only succeeded in amplifying the guilt and pain that now reside within my very soul and being. _

_It doesn't even matter anymore. He's gone now, and it's all my fault. _

_And for that, I can never forgive myself. _

* * *

"Malik!" A white haired teen exclaimed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, his voice screeching in exasperation at his friend's odd behaviour. Said tow-headed Egyptian snapped from his thoughts, turning slightly to find wide chocolate brown eyes eyeing him with concern.

"Er- sorry Ryou, what was it that you were saying?" He tried giving his friend the best smile he could manage, in an attempt to will away any incoming questions from his British friend.

"Were you even listening to what I was saying the whole time?" The snow-haired Briton narrowed his eyes at the now flustered teen, knowing better than anyone else that his friend's smile was nowhere near real, "Is something wrong, Malik?"

Consequent to the seemingly worried inquiries and the knowledge that his fake smile manoeuvre has not succeeded, not that he expected it to work anyway, he sighed in frustration. Even though Ryou was one of his only two close friends, he could never find it in himself to voice his thoughts or feelings out to him, not to anyone for that matter, "Nothing is wrong Ryou." He stated almost inaudibly in response.

Luckily for Malik, the teacher stepped into the class right then, effectively cutting off any questions that Ryou was most likely going to ask. Malik knew better than to think that his friend would just forget about his peculiar behaviour, yet he hoped he would somehow do just that.

He, nevertheless, couldn't bring himself to pay the slightest attention through the lecture, or any other class- not that he ever did so anyway. Instead, his eyes started roving the classroom, his gaze shifting between the faces of his classmates, stopping only at the sight of a particular group of students having painfully familiar faces.

A dirty blond haired teen with honey coloured eyes, Joey Wheeler. Another boy sitting across from him, with hair shaped a single spike consisting of two shades of brown and matching eyes, Tristan Taylor. A girl with shoulder length brown hair and ocean blue eyes, Tea Gardner. And finally the famous tricolour haired boy, Yugi Mutou, also known as the King of Games.

He understood why he never wanted to return to his homeland, Egypt, but never quite grasped the real reason why he decided to stay at Domino City in Japan, and most importantly attend the same school as the people he caused so much pain for. The same people who had been to hell and back as a result of his actions.

It's been almost a month now since the ceremonial duel took place, the supposed end of the story of the five millennia old spirit that resided within the Millennium Puzzle. But it had seemed like fate had other plans for the once ruling Pharaoh...

* * *

"I'm gonna miss you..."

It was all over. The ceremonial duel was concluded with Yugi's victory, meaning the spirit of the Pharaoh would finally proceed to its final resting place, along with the seven Millennium items. The two tri-colour haired lookalikes stood before each other, each in his own body, saying their final goodbyes.

Meanwhile, the flaxen haired Egyptian, the Pharaoh's tomb keeper, stood with his arms crossed, his eyes fixed intently on the two lookalikes. A side of his sympathised with the two of them, he did know how hard it was to lose someone as close as that. Another part of him, however, liked every moment of it, enjoyed the pain they were being put through. They, after all, were the reason he had to lose his own other half, even though it was inevitable if they actually wanted to save mankind from the destruction both he and his dark side were going to inflict.

By the time that Malik had snapped out of his bipolar thoughts and back to reality, the Pharaoh, Atem, was already walking through the door that led to the afterlife. Soon after the door was closed, the underground cavern started to shake uncontrollably, indicating incoming danger.

Needing no second warnings, the place was evacuated immediately by everyone that witnessed what they believed was the greatest duel of the millennia, leaving behind all evidence showing it ever took place to go down with the collapsing cavern.

When they had all reached the safety of the outside, Malik retained his posture of folded arms once more, only this time eyeing the entrance leading to the staircase they just escaped through.

"...Well, sometimes the end of one adventure is just the beginning of another." He heard the victor console his distraught friends and himself.

'They really thought it was the end, we'll see if it really is in just a few.' The Egyptian mused to himself; he knew very well it was far from the end, there was still one more phase left in order to determine the fate of the Pharaoh's stray spirit.

Ishizu may have been the previous owner of the Millennium necklace, which enabled her to see the future, but he was the one who received the tomb keepers' initiation. He had foreseen some of the events that were to come regarding the Pharaoh, though he never understood exactly how or why.

"If only you knew how wrong you are." He muttered, earning himself a couple of quizzical looks from the group of friends. He, however, decided against voicing his thoughts once a familiar star shaped hair came into view at the temple's entrance, thus widening the smirk he didn't realise he was wearing until then.

"What Malik is trying to say is that you won't be able to get rid of me that easily." An all too familiar baritone voice spoke, making every pair of eyes turn to the direction it's coming from.

Right there, standing in his usual glory and aura of confidence and insuppressable power, stood the ex-Pharaoh, dressed in the same attire his other half wore, along with a warm smile pasted on his handsome face.

Malik couldn't help but smile at the sight of an excited Yugi jumping into the waiting arms of the Pharaoh in an uncharacteristic action, throwing his arms around him in a hug, and watched as the friends questions Atem's return, or Yami as they preferred to call him.

Just as he was about to join the group in returning back to the boat that brought them there, he caught a glimpse of an unruly mane of white, making him stop dead in his tracks with widened eyes.

Now **that** is interesting.

"You can come out now." He called out after making sure everyone had left except for him. As expected, the former King of Thieves stepped out of the shadows and into eyesight.

"Now how **you** were forgiven by the gods is beyond me," the Egyptian laughed in amusement, before smiling genuinely at his snow haired friend, "But it's good to know you're back."

"It's good to be back!" Bakura joined in the laughter, "Well, for whatever reason, I'm not going to complain now."

The two once partners in crime, newly formed friends, walked side by side. One looking forward for the life ahead of him to make up for his past, while the other was lost in glum musing about how his' would turn out to be from this point.

* * *

Since that very day, everything seemed to be going ordinarily for everyone, but not for Malik. It never was normal for him.

He thought that now that he was done with his tomb keeper's duties he would be able to live his life normally to some extent, but every passing day only proved to him how wrong he was.

Everything was still the same, and it was killing him from the inside out every single day.

He was broken from his somewhat melancholy reverie by the sound of the final bell, indicating their freedom from school for the day being. Hastily, in order to avoid any questions from his pearl-haired friend, he gathered his things and made to dash out of the classroom, only to be stopped by the 'Yugi Clan', as he preferred to call them.

"Hey Malik, we're gonna head to the arcade later t'day, d'ya wanna join us?" The Brooklyn blond addressed him with a boyish grin on his features.

"Umm actuall-

"Yes! He would love to join us!"

Malik groaned inwardly, he should have known his whitette friend would manage to pin him down for answers eventually. Oh well, he had no choice but to give in at this point. "Sure, I'll meet you guys there."

Yes, everything was the same.

If only Malik knew what fate had in store for him, he would have never wished for anything to ever change.

Things were about to get really, really strange.

* * *

There it is, more chapters to come soon.

So, R&R?


End file.
